Abbotsford House features on top American TV show

Abbotsford House, one of the top tourist attractions in the Borders, has taken centre stage in a leading American lifestyle TV show.

The iconic home of Sir Walter Scott was the star of the network’s Open House property and design programme, which was beamed in to millions of American homes on February 20 and is now available globally online.

The show was hosted by Giles Ingram, chief executive of the Abbotsford Trust, and volunteer guide, Nancy Marshall, who took viewers on a tour of the stunning 19th century property.

VisitScotland hopes the exclusive programme will inspire potential American visitors to make the journey to Scotland to discover the region for themselves.

Malcolm Roughead, chief executive of VisitScotland, said: “The United States continues to be our biggest international market for inbound tourism, with almost half of visitors drawn to our country by its fascinating history and heritage, of which Abbotsford is no exception.

“We hope this programme will inspire more American visitors to take the journey to our shores, where they can travel on the reopened Borders Railway and explore Sir Walter Scott’s old stomping grounds in the picturesque Scottish Borders.”

Giles Ingram, chief executive of Abbotsford, said: “We were excited and privileged to have had the opportunity to feature Sir Walter Scott’s legacy to Scotland in such high profile NBC media. The filming was extremely professional and I enjoyed the experience immensely and feel sure that it will inspire a new host of New York fans to visit and enjoy Abbotsford in the near future.”